Jason Plato is the early leader of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after winning the opening two rounds of the series for the first time in his career. The 2001 Champion won Rounds 1 and 2 with a lights to flag performance in his SEAT Leon, and came from 7th on the final reserve grid to finish 4th.

Team-mate Darren Turner retired from Round 1 with collision-caused rear suspension damage, yet he produced the drive of the day in Round 2 to come from 21st on the grid to finish 4th. He finished 4th again in Round 3, but was later excluded from the results for making contact with Colin Turkington.

It was a great overall team performance, which sees SEAT Sport UK lead the BTCC Team’s standings. SEAT also set the fastest lap in two out of the three races, and its excellent record at Brands Hatch remains, with seven wins from the last nine races.

ROUND 1

Jason made a brilliant start from second on the grid to overtake pole-sitter Turkington and lead into Paddock Hill Bend. He twice pulled away to open a gap of almost a second before two safety car periods bunched the field up. After the 24 lap race had been increased to 27, Jason also set the fastest lap of the race, 49.706s (86.8mph), to hold position and beat Turkington to the chequered flag by 1.237 seconds.

Darren Turner’s race was compromised within the first half a lap, after he clashed with both Vauxhall Vectras. He tangled with Fabrizio Giovanardi at the first corner and then Tom Chilton thumbed him onto the grass at Graham Hill Bend, which damaged the Leon’s rear suspension. Darren continued as best he could, but having started 3rd he was down to 19th when the rear suspension forced him to pull off the track before the finish.

ROUND 2

Jason had another great start, this time from pole, to lead the field into Paddock Hill Bend. A close battle for second between Turkington, Matt Neal and Chilton allowed Jason to pull away and after six laps he was 4.109 seconds ahead. Jason carved his way through the back-markers towards the end of the 24 lap race and was able to cruise to a 2.659 seconds victory.

Darren started from 21st and was 13th after the first lap and inside the top 10 by the end of lap three. When the gaggle of cars ahead of him clashed at Surtees on lap eight, Darren moved up to 5th and then into 4th when he overtook Tom Onslow-Cole at Paddock Hill Bend on lap 11. It was a fantastic drive by Darren, in which he set the fastest lap of the race, 50.224s (85.9mph).

ROUND 3

The top seven drivers were randomly selected to start Round 3 in reverse order, meaning that Giovanardi started from pole, Darren from 4th and Jason from 7th. After two early safety car incidents – one when John George spun his Honda at Surtees on the opening lap and the other when Turkington landed in the gravel trap at Clearways on lap nine – it was clear that the success ballast was going to hurt the SEAT Leons. After a hard fought battle, Darren finished 4th, closely followed by Jason in 5th; but Darren was later excluded for making contact with Turkington and contributing to the BMW driver’s retirement, moving Jason up a place.

Matt Neal won the race ahead of Giovanardi, while the 2006 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Champion Mat Jackson drove a fantastic race to finish 3rd.

DRIVER QUOTES

Jason Plato (1st/1st/5th): “It’s been an excellent weekend. There is a very positive feeling at SEAT Sport UK – we’re sharp and there is an extra accuracy to everything we do, and it has shown in our results. Two wins, a fourth and a fastest lap – I couldn’t realistically have hoped for anything better than that. It’s been very competitive out there today, and I think the racing will be very close like that all year.”

Darren Turner (DNF/4th/Exc): “It was disappointing to pick up damage so early in the first race, which from then on meant we were struggling and fighting a losing battle, but I was very happy in the second race to come from twenty-first to finish fourth. I made a poor start in the third race and dropped to sixth, and then made contact with Colin Turkington; it wasn’t hard, but it was enough to knock him off the circuit. It’s been a great weekend for Jason and I’m really pleased for him. I’ll be aiming for similar results next time out at Rockingham.”